Set Fire To The Rain
by AdmiralAwesome
Summary: My version of the last twoish volums of XxxHoLiC... Read and find out :  Rated M for themes and implications...


**Set Fire To The Rain**

**[A/N]: Hey guys… I haven't written anything like this before, so I hope it's ok… Please review, I will love you forever if you do :D  
>This was inspired by two things: a dream (as lame as it sounds) that kept me up until I wrote it down, and the song '<strong>_**Set Fire to the Rain' **_**by Adele, you should listen to it :)**

**Hope you like, and review review review! :P Loves ya'll**

_"Before his eyes, she spread her wings and flew, as he ran out to save her from the rain."_

Rain. Where he had once thought of it as beautiful and a bringer of life, he could now only think of it as what had taken Yuuko away from him, when he had only just found her.

"Hey Yuuko," he began. Taking a breath, he mentally strengthened his resolve and continued on. "How do you know the difference between dreams and reality?" Watanuki watched Yuuko's face for any expression that may betray what she was feeling. More and more lately, he had been having realistic dreams, dreams that seemed so real, and happened so randomly, that it was starting to affect his life. Most of these dreams were vivid, yet vague, yet there was one constant that plagued his mind. Yuuko. At first, he was able to see all of her, trapped like a butterfly in a spider's web, but now, all that was left was her face.

"I-Yuuko, I don't want you to disappear! Isn't there any way i can help you? Please, tell me, let me save you like you saved me." Clutching at her sleeve, he fell to his knees, tears running down his face. Inclining her head to gaze at him, Yuuko cupped his cheek gently in one hand.

"Please, Watanuki, allow me this one selfish desire. Don't follow me. Don't forget me. And most importantly, do not forget to love." Kneeling down, she kissed away the tears and gathered him in her arms.

Choosing to let his actions express his feelings more so than words, Watanuki kissed Yuuko gently, as if she was about to break. Pulling away, he leaned back and looked into her eyes. Silently conveying the words he could never say, he reached and touched her face as he had many times in his dreams. Standing up, he grasped her hand and led her over to the bed, looking into her eyes for affirmation. Smiling, she lay on the bed and brought Watanuki down over her. Leaning down, he kissed her again, this time more feverishly, knowing deep down that this was the last time he would see her. Hands roamed all over each other's bodies as their clothing was slowly discarded. A sense of desperation filled their movements, and their bodies became one.

That night, Watanuki dreamed. In the middle of the darkness was Yuuko, suspended from the web as she had been in the first dream. Starting slowly, he ended up running towards Yuuko, but she never seemed to get closer. Finally, he was close enough to reach out and touch her face, but all that remained was the memory of her. Looking down at his feet, a butterfly was sitting at the edge of a puddle, waiting for him. Reaching out his hand, he smiled as the butterfly flew onto his waiting finger, before taking off and flying away into the darkness. Slowly, a single tear leaked out of his eye, running down his face.

When he awoke, there was no sign of Yuuko anywhere. Hurriedly getting up, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfillment and peace, like the debt of a wish had finally been repaid. Running around the shop, he looked everywhere, in the storeroom, Yuuko's guest room, and the kitchen. Arriving at the sliding doors that led onto the porch, he hesitated. For some reason, he had picked up an umbrella on his travels, and as he listened, the sound of rain started to fall. Opening the door, Watanuki was astonished to find Yuuko standing in the center of the yard, rain falling all around her. Hair hanging limply, kimono half off, she turned at the sound of her name. Walking on to the porch, he stopped at the edge and opened the umbrella. The rain seemed to burn the skin of his arm as he held the umbrella out in front of him. Making no move to take the umbrella, the rain intensified and Yuuko smiled. A beautiful, lingering smile that Watanuki knew would carry him on when he needed it the most. Before his eyes, she spread her wings and flew, as he ran out to save her from the rain. Umbrella forgotten, he fell to his knees, heart wrenching sobs and tears mingling with the burning rain. Her name was a mantra, cried continually through the rest of the night.

With the dawn, the rain subsided, and he finally moved. Glancing in front of him, all that remained as proof that Yuuko had stood there was her kimono, soaked and muddy. As he picked it up, a butterfly pendant fell from the folds and landed in the mud. Prying it from the thick mud, memories flooded to his mind as he wiped the filth form it's delicate wings. Yuuko demanding alcohol with food every time, Yuuko granting the wishes of various customers, Yuuko telling him how Doumeki and Himawari-chan had saved his life, by taking his injuries upon themselves. The times where they granted a wish and it turned out well, Valentine's Day, and many others. Memories of happiness, of hope, and of sacrifice. Memories that only existed because of her.


End file.
